Home of the Best Dimsum: David's Tea House

While Wai Ying is my go to place when craving for dimsum, I have to give it to David's Tea House for serving the best dimsum in town.

T. Mapua branch

For me, no restaurant comes close in matching the quality of dimsum David's main branch in T. Mapua produces day in, day out. Dimsum is always fresh, with no scrimping on the ingredients.

Just look at these baskets of glory: 

Shrimp Siomai (70php)

Hakaw Shrimp (80php)

Tausi Spareribs (70php)

Pork Asado Pao (70php)

Assorted Dimsum Platter (185php)

Sesame Buchi (70php)

Aside from dimsum, David's also offers hotpot

Hotpot

and hot dishes:

Fried Beancurd (185php)

Fried Wanton (180php)

Wanton Beef Noodles (145php)

Yang Chow Fried Rice (170php)

Sweet and Sour Pork (200php)

Don't forget to end a meal at David's Tea House with soy milk. It's so popular that I've seen some patrons  driving by the restaurant, ordering from their car windows, just to have a glass.

Soy Milk

David's Tea House has 18 branches in Luzon. For more information, click here.

Wai Ying is Comfort Food

What do you do when you’re feeling blue?

Some shop.

Others indulge in a relaxing massage.

I, on the other hand, eat at Wai Ying  where the familiar flavors of the food never fail to comfort me.

Wai Ying is a popular joint in Chinatown that serves good dimsum at affordable price points.

Just leave your expectations of sophistication at the door, as ambiance is nonexistent in Wai Ying.

Mop for Everyone to See

A trip to Wai Ying is never complete without me ordering:

Pork Siomai (60php)

One of the better versions of siomai in Chinatown. Flavorful with real pork goodness.

Taosi Spareribs (55php)

I first discovered the wonders of Wai Ying’s spareribs more than a decade ago and I've never grown tired of it. Perfect balance of meat and fat with the light sauce allowing the meat to shine. A must try!

Hakaw (65php)

Fresh and plump. Shrimps are also huge. 

White Chicken Rice (110php)

Make sure not to get the breast part as those tend to be dry. Decent version of steamed chicken with the spring onions adding flavor to the dish.

Buchi (55php)

Best way to end a meal at Wai Ying. Sweet and crispy. Best eaten piping hot.

I also never fail to bring home some food from Wai Ying for my brothers to eat:

Fried Wanton (120php)

One can do no wrong with fried food. Addictingly good.

Asado Siopao (55php)

I'm not a fan of siopao but Wai Ying's siopao has earned raves from my brothers. 

I'll end this post by sharing the menu of Wai Ying in the hopes that it will encourage more people to visit Chinatown for a taste of Wai Ying as it's certainly worth the trip.

Wai Ying is located at 1237 to 1241 Benavidez St. Tondo, Manila. Contact 2543318 for more information. It also has a branch at the heart of Chinatown in Ongpin.

Much Ado About Lugang Cafe

Lugang Café has created a lot of buzz since it opened.

I’ve been to this beautifully designed Chinese restaurant twice and went home unimpressed on both occasions.

Am I the only one who doesn’t get it?

Steamed Pork  Xiao Long Bao (158php) 

Reminds me of the recent Din Tai Fung disappointment. Has flavor but lacks the oomph factor. Skin is at least delicate.

Steamed Shrimp and Pork Siomai (188php)

Siomai with broth!?! Tastes similar to Pork Xiao Long Bao.

Steamed Shrimp and Pork Dumplings (188php)

I realize here that all Lugang dimsums taste the same.

Steamed Vegetable and Pork Dumplings (188php)

Didn’t have the desire to try this green colored dimsum.

Meat Combination (880php)

Asado could have been better but the duck and pork portions are superb.

Taiwanese Sausage (180php) 

One can find better sausages at Ongpin.

Pineapple Fried Rice (280php)

Not the best, Nina said.

Spicy Beef and Tendon Noodle Soup (250php)

Not spicy at all. Stock strangely tastes like the white sauce popularly used in shawarma. Noodles are also unremarkable.

Hainan Bone Chicken (450php)

Awful! My stomach cringed a little because this is served very very cold. Has funky taste to boot!

Taiwanese Stewed Minced Pork (160php) 

Reminds me of adobo and I HATE adobo.

Taiwanese Stir Fried Rice Noodles with Pork (245php)  

Dry and bland. Such an amateur dish.

Three Cup Chicken (290php)

Interesting flavors. Small pieces made it addicting to eat although I can't say this is very delicious.

Fried Prawns with Oats (480php)

Too small to be classified as prawns. Oat coating works but nothing beats the sweetness of cereal prawns.

Black Pepper on Iron Plate (360php)

I have to say that the meat’s tender but there's nothing spectacular about this dish.

Crab Rice Congee (980php)

Comfort dish! Could use more spices though as flavors are a bit subdued.

Steamed Spinach in Broth with Preserved Egg (300php)

Veggies = Pass

Sweet and Sour Pork (280php)

Decent version of an old time classic.

Crab on Vermicelli in Clay Pot (820php)

The only winning noodle dish we tried at Lugang. Crabs certainly help in giving this dish flavor.

Beef with Chinese Crullers (280php)

Wonderful play of textures with the tender beef and crunchy dough. Fun to eat!

I’ve never tried any of Lugang's sweet offerings as I've always been too full. Maybe it’s in the desserts that I will finally understand why Lugang Café is the popular restaurant that it is today.

Lugang Café is located at 115 Connecticut St. North East Greenhills. For more information, call 7219100 or 5709011.

Love at City Hall Maxim's Palace

I was recently in Hong Kong. Get to know what Hong Kong has to offer through my adventure. This is the 6th of 14 parts.

When in Hong Kong, eating good dimsum is a must.

During this trip, I visited City Hall Maxim’s Palace in Central because it was crowned by HK Magazine readers to having the best dimsum in town.

This Proved Helpful

I figured that if Maxim's Palace is good enough for the locals, it surely will be good enough for me!

On purpose, Murtle and I arrived late (around 2 pm) to avoid the notoriously long lines during the lunch hour.

Sneak Peek

Being inside the City Hall building, this branch of Maxim’s Palace is a popular venue for weddings. It's good enough with its high ceiling and subtle elegance.



Don't Be Fooled. I Took This Picture During Closing Time

Who cares about ambiance as I'm .... 



So Raring To Eat

Aunties with carts of goodies roam Maxim’s Palace. Murtle and I tried an egg tart from this lady while waiting for our orders to arrive.

Egg Tart

We realized here that it's not unusual for Hong Kong egg tarts to have a strong lemon taste. This is hot and flaky.

On To What We Were Here For


3 Kinds of Barbeque (HKD 138)



With Ginger and Honey Sauce



Goose: Skin is very crispy. Perfect once dipped in the sticky sauce.

Chicken: Juicy with a clean taste. Everything I want in my chicken and more.

Asado: Succulent and very soft. Genuine pork taste and consistency. Hard to find asado this good in Manila.

Dimsum at Maxim’s Palace ranges from HKD28 to HKD 46. I was too busy eating to take down notes.

No Dimsum Meal is Complete Without These



Xiao Long Bao

Delicate skin + Flavorful broth + Generous portion of meat = One Yummy Dumpling

Hakaw

Delightful as shrimps are fresh and huge. Could eat this all day.



Spareribs

Nicely done as meat is oh so tender. I also love the chunks of fat each piece had!



Siomai



Saved the best for last!  Divine. Huge chunks of shrimp made it impossible for Murtle, who is allergic to shrimps, have a bite. Sorry Murtle, but you missed a lot.

We're not done as Murtle wanted dessert:

Mango Pudding

A thin film of milk covers this dessert. Sweet mango with a hint of lemon. Very refreshing.

Without a doubt, I had the most sumptuous dimsum experience of my life at Maxim’s Palace. From now on, I’ll make it a habit to visit this dimsum wonderland whenever I’m in Hong Kong.

There are other branches of Maxim’s Palace around the city but I strongly suggest for everyone to visit the City Hall branch as it's not rare to see newlyweds at the courtyard.

It's an interesting way to cap a perfect meal.

City Hall Maxim’s Palace is located at 2/F City Hall, Central. Business hours as follows: Monday to Saturday: 11:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.; 5:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. Sunday and Public Holidays: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.; 5:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. To locate other branches, try browsing this page.